Zelenskyy says Kremlin’s offer to pull back ‘doesn’t drown out Russian shells’
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia’s signals it will pull back troops from some areas “do not drown out the ruptures of Russian shells”.
In a new video – the first time he has spoken about the peace talks that ended with a hint of some possible progress ahead – he said that only a concrete result from the discussions can be trusted.
But he added that he sees no reason to trust the words of certain representatives of a power that “continues to fight for our destruction”.
Putin’s forces ‘pushed away’ from capital – live updates
“The situation has not become easier,” he stressed, warning the Russian army still had “significant potential” to carry out attacks.
“We are not reducing our defensive efforts,” he added.
Sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich appeared at the peace negotiations on Tuesday morning, following allegations he was poisoned at earlier talks – a claim the Kremlin rejected as part of an “information war”.
Read more: Just how involved is Roman Abramovich in peace talks?
Russia offers to reduce military near Kyiv
Earlier, Russia offered to drastically reduce military activity near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and around Chernihiv.
Alexander Fomin, the Kremlin’s deputy defence minister, said Moscow has decided to “fundamentally cut back” operations to “increase mutual trust”.
Mr Zelenskyy’s response follows US President Joe Biden, who told reporters at the White House: “We’ll see if they follow through.”
And speaking to Reuters news agency, a Western official said Russia’s announcement “seems to be more of a tactical exercise” to buy time for troops to regroup – a sentiment backed by the Pentagon.
It confirmed “some movement of small numbers” of Russian forces away from Kyiv, but described it as more of a “repositioning – not a withdrawal”.
In other developments:
• Ukrainian troops ‘regaining territory’ and pushing back Russian forces
• Zelenskyy says Ukraine willing to consider neutrality and offer security guarantees
• US casts doubt on Abramovich ‘chemical’ poisoning claims
• More Russian mercenaries heading to Ukraine
Ukrainian and Russian officials met in Istanbul for the talks, during which, the Russian delegation outlined two steps to de-escalate war.
Cutting back troops was one of the steps, while the other offer was a meeting between the two country’s leaders if and when a peace treaty was forthcoming.
Heading the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky stressed that the scale-back did not represent a ceasefire.
Read more: Zelenskyy offers Putin a way out of war – but will Russia’s leader budge?
Zelenskyy’s proposals for peace
Earlier talks, held in Belarus or by video, failed to make progress on ending the conflict that has killed thousands and driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes – including almost four million forced abroad.
The Ukrainian president indicated previously his country is prepared to declare neutrality, as Moscow has demanded, and that compromise may be possible over “the complex issue of Donbas” in the country’s east, where separatists backed by Russia have controlled since 2014.
But it is unclear how that might be reconciled with his stance that “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt”.
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Russia has long demanded Ukraine drop any hope of joining NATO, which Moscow sees as a threat.
Mr Zelenskyy, for his part, has stressed Ukraine needs security guarantees of its own as part of any deal.
Ukraine warned ‘significant threat’ remains to Kyiv
Meanwhile, as Ukrainian forces entered their 34th day of war, the UK’s ministry of defence said the Kremlin forces still pose a “significant threat” to the capital, through their strike capability.
And later, Downing Street stressed the need for the West not to let off in its response to the crisis.
